Washington (CNN) - Twenty years after the start of the O.J. Simpson murder case, attitudes towards Simpson and towards race relations in the country have dramatically changed, according to a new national poll.

Monday night's release of the CNN/ORC International survey comes just a few days before 20th anniversary of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson, the former football star and actor's ex-wife, and of Ronald Goldman. The case against Simpson and the ensuing more than eight-month-long criminal trial, dubbed the "trial of the century," engrossed the nation. Simpson was eventually acquitted.

Hillary Clinton will discuss her memoir "Hard Choices" in a town hall meeting at the Newseum in Washington at 5 p.m. ET on June 17. The former secretary of state, senator and first lady will take questions from moderator Christiane Amanpour, CNN's Chief International Correspondent, and members of the audience. The town hall will be simulcast on CNN International and CNN en Espanol.

(CNN) - Hillary Clinton’s new book includes some inflammatory language about one of America’s closest allies, Israel, and its relationship with the Palestinian territories.

And Monday on CNN's Crossfire, co-host S.E. Cupp challenged Tracy Sefl from the pro-Clinton super PAC Ready for Hillary on the issue, calling the language a "doozy" of a gaffe.

Trenton, New Jersey (CNN) - The George Washington Bridge scandal had become "a major distraction" to Gov. Chris Christie last December, according to his chief of staff, who also said on Monday that a central figure in the uproar denied any involvement when confronted.

Kevin O'Dowd became the most senior member of the Christie administration to testify before a legislative committee looking into the controversy that has upended the Republican’s administration just as he considers a bid for president in 2016.

CNN’s POLITICAL GUT CHECK | for June 9, 2014 | 5 p.m.
— n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

VA AUDIT: OVER 63,000 VETERANS WAITING FOR CARE ...An audit of hundreds of Veterans Affairs facilities released Monday found that more than 63,000 veterans were waiting to be scheduled for care nationwide, and the Department of Veterans Affairs announced it was scrapping performance bonuses for all senior management in 2014 as part of its response to the review. According to the audit findings released Monday, a 14-day deadline for providing care to newly enrolled veterans such as those coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan proved "simply not attainable" due to growing demand and a lack of capacity. – Tom CohenFULL POST

Washington (CNN) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his wife, Landra, announced Monday they sold their family home in the famously tiny desert mining town of Searchlight, Nevada, where the senator grew up and will move near Las Vegas.

Reid said they want to live closer to their four children and 16 grandchildren. He said it also will make it easier to run for a sixth term when he is up for re-election in 2016.

Washington (CNN) – The afternoon coffee run – it's a must for office workers worldwide, including, apparently, President Barack Obama.

At around 2:30 p.m. ET on Monday, the commander-in-chief – with little warning to his aides, security detail or the press that follow him everywhere – burst the White House bubble and walked a block to the nearest Starbucks.

(CNN) – Known for his blunt, tough-talking disposition, Gov. Chris Christie said he’s confident his personality can take root in places beyond New Jersey–that is if his political aspirations expand nationwide someday.

“I hear people say all the time, ‘Oh you know, you wouldn’t play well in the South, or you wouldn’t play well in Iowa.’ It’s all garbage. People are people,” the Republican governor said Monday on Sports Radio 94WIP Philadelphia.

Program note: Hillary Clinton will discuss her memoir "Hard Choices" in a town hall meeting at the Newseum in Washington at 5 p.m. ET on June 17. The former secretary of state, senator and first lady will take questions from moderator Christiane Amanpour, CNN's Chief International Correspondent, and members of the audience. The town hall will be simulcast on CNN International and CNN en Espanol.

Washington (CNN) - With her much anticipated memoir hitting bookstores on Tuesday, coverage of Hillary Clinton is exploding this week, from the broadcast networks to cable news to social media.

Polling indicates that the former secretary of state, who says she'll probably decide next year whether she'll make another run for the White House, would instantly become the overwhelming frontrunner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

Washington (CNN) – Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended the fact she's reportedly made $5 million in speaking fees since leaving the State Department in early 2013 by arguing that her family "came out of the White House not only dead broke but in debt."

Clinton, pressed by ABC's Diane Sawyer in a clip of a larger interview that will air Monday night, added that her family had "no money" when they left the White House and "struggled to piece together the resources for mortgages for houses, for Chelsea's education."

Washington (CNN) - No eye-catching achievement at State. No signature doctrine. No strategy.

Those are just some of the buzzwords and phrases national Republicans are going to be using when describing Hillary Clinton's soon-to-be-out memoir "Hard Choices" and her time as America's top diplomat.